Based on the works of nearly 100 master painters — Isenburger, Chardin, Braque, many more — this gloriously illustrated manual focuses on the aesthetics of picture-making, chief among them composition. Watson stresses that while an artist's skill is vitally important, a painting's true power lies in its design and theme. Includes 135 paintings. Reprint of the Watson-Guptill Publications, Inc., New York, 1959 edition.
Here's a sample of other books in this Dover category
Pictorial Composition: An Introduction by Henry Rankin Poore Learn principles of composition, classical and modern, through analysis of works from Middle Ages to present — Goya, Cézanne, Hopper, many others. 148 illustrations, 9 in full color.
Freehand Perspective and Sketching by Dora Miriam Norton The essential guide to rendering perspective, this classic manual uses a series of illustrated exercises and explanations to help artists and students master one of art's greatest challenges. More than 260 figures.
The Watson Drawing Book by Ernest W. Watson, Aldren A. Watson Brims with information on drawing techniques, media, and artistic examples. Technical information and tips on perspective, measure and form analysis, rendering light, shade, and shadow, portrait drawing, figure sketching, and outdoor sketching.
Essentials of Landscape Composition by Leonard Richmond In this step-by-step introduction to composition, the author offers effective exercises to teach budding artists simple drawing techniques, using a brush to create landscape elements from clouds and trees to castles and cottages.
Composition: Understanding Line, Notan and Color by Arthur Wesley Dow Focusing on harmonic relations between lines, color, and dark and light patterns, this manual influenced generations of artists. Practical and well-illustrated, it conveys its insights in a convenient workbook format.
